Greetings from Day 2 of my vacay in San Fran. I am learning very quickly that these posts are going to have to be very photo-heavy and text-light, or else I will not be able to keep up! And so without further ado, let’s get at it.
Complimentary Starbucks breakfast again: Cranberry Orange Scone + Iced Latte + naner.
Took a ferry to Angel Island.
This is my favorite pic of me ever. I laughed so hard I nearly cried when I first saw it. Can you tell it’s a little windy? Facebook profile pic?
View of Golden Gate Bridge from ferry:
Angel Island! So pretty! I was swooning and gushing about how lush and pretty this place was as our boat approached the island.
We took a one hour tram tour around the circumference of Angel Island, and this was one of the points at which we stopped to admire the amazing view of the bay, city, and bridge. Sorry bout that lens blur:
Yours truly:
View of former Immigration Station on Angel Island:
Grabbed some lunch at the Cove Café on Angel Island prior to our departure to Alcatraz. The huz ordered the pulled pork sandwich, which he declared was, surprisingly, very good, and which came with a side of potato salad.
I ordered a quinoa salad with with roasted red peppers, tomatoes, onion, and topped with feta. A tad bland, but I appreciated the wholesome veg option. On the side I had a bowl of spring veggie soup with corn bread.
Next we left Angel Island and took a ferry to Alcatraz!:
Such an eerie place. The photos can’t do justice to capturing the mood of this place.
We took an in-depth tour of the former jail cells.
A typical Alcatraz cell:
Ruins of what I believe was the former warden’s residence on Alcatraz Island.
Kitchen in the dining hall. Silhouettes of all the cutlery were painted into the kitchen so that it would be readily apparent if any pieces went missing!:
View from barred, cracked windowpanes in the hallways of the penitentiary.
Ruins vs. modern city:
This evening we got dolled up for dinner.
Millenium Restaurant
Started out with a glass of organic Cabernet Sauvignon at the bar at Millennium Restaurant. I was so excited to visit this vegetarian restaurant! Here is some text from their website describing their dining philosophy:
“Millennium Restaurant is dedicated to supporting the essential earthly concepts of organic food production, small farms, sustainable agriculture, recycling and composting. We cook with fresh produce delivered every day, and choose organic whenever possible. We believe that a gourmet dining experience can be created out of vegetarian, healthy, and environmentally friendly foods. We are proud to state that our restaurant is completely free of genetically modified foods.”
We both ordered the three-course prix fixe menu, and I ordered a set of wine pairings with mine.
My starter:
“Shaved Asparagus Salad: baby arugula, green olive, shaved radish, carrot & diced orange, creamy spring garlic vinaigrette, almond romesco, spring garlic chips.” Very fresh and yummy! Nice chance from a traditional lettuce salad. Paired with a crisp sparkling white wine.
Tom’s starter: “Crusted Oyster Mushrooms: chickpea flour & thyme dredge, radish salad with ginger aioli, grapefruit-habanero chile jam.” I tried a bite and these were awesome!
Next we had some bread (which is complementary, but must be requested) with some sort of dill white bean spread that I really enjoyed.
My entrée: “Teff Griddle Cake: Berbere spiced black lentil & tomato ragu, maple-cardamom glazed sweet potatoes, sautéed collard greens & caramelized onions, walnut-mint relish, shredded spring vegetable salad with serrano chile, cilantro & lime.” This dish was paired with a very earthy and woodsy pinot noir. My entrée was killer! It was so perfect. I absolutely loved the spicy and HOT lentils pair with the mildy sweet, yet savory sweet potatoes, and topped with crisp, fresh veggies. The heat level was just perfect for me. I truly enjoy hot foods, but no SO hot that I can no longer taste the dish. This dish was perfectly spicy enough to leave me feeling warm and fuzzy (or maybe that was the wine!?), but still be able to enjoy the flavors of the dish. Mmm. I devoured every last morsel.
The huz’s dish: “Huitlacoche Tamale – annatto seed cashew "cheese" & roasted poblano chile filling, caramelized chantenay carrot & habanero puree, sautéed broccoli di cicco with scarlet runner beans, spring onion & ancho chile, radish escabeche, avocado.” Yum! I love that all of Millenium’s dishes are very veggie-heavy! I tried a bite of this dish and it was wonderful!
My dessert was a chocolate-blood orange tartlette paired with a sweet Zinfandel. Oh so divine. :: swoon ::! Every element of this dish was just swoon-worthy. Super rich dark chocolate filling, with blood orange wedges, the most amazing grainy, textured tartlette crust. OMG.
The huz ordered a cinnamon bread budding.
Dinner at Millenium was simply spectacular! A meal to be remembered!
Oh, and as promised, the night view from our 40th floor hotel room!:
